Tortured Egyptian prisoner makes video plea to David Cameron

Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Soltan has urged the UK and the West not "to remain silent and turn a blind eye to [Egypt's] glaring violations of international laws and conventions".

In a personal plea made to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is slated to host Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the UK at the start of November, Soltan calls on Britain to take a firmer stand and fight for basic democratic freedoms in Egypt.

"I'm here in an attempt to give a voice to the thousands of voiceless prisoners in Egypt who are perishing away in Egypt's infamously horrible prisons," Soltan said. 

Sisi stepped down from the army to stand in a highly controversial election last year when he was elected by 96 percent of the vote after banning most opposition parties.

After a long delay Parliamentary elections were finally held a few days ago, but the vote was marred by low turnout with only 2 percent of the population turning out on the first day of voting, and the official turnout over two days being estimated at between 10 to 15 percent. 

The UK public must understand that the parliamentary vote is “nothing but a cosmetic measure to pretty up a hideous reality," warned Soltan.